The Morning After
by JT Gabert
Summary: A missing scene to the Gambling Game. Originally published under the nom d' scrib, FictionWriter2015.


**THE MORNING AFTER**

Captain Barnes called her into his office shortly after roll call. He was a good man who had known her father well. Along with their friend Bob Ironside, the two had gone to academy together and worked their way up the ranks. After her father's death, Jack Barnes had offered his friend's grieving daughter all the support he could, until the department whispers about Dave Belding possibly taking bribes from the Mob became too loud. He knew all too well the delicate balance between supporting an officer under his command who had just lost her father in the line of duty and a friend who might have crossed over the thin blue line, became dirty, and paid for it with his life. Like the others, he had pulled away and now looked the other way when Belding's orphan showed on their radar.

There was a tentative knock on his door. "Enter".

Fran Belding entered the room. Barnes waved her to a seat.

"I'll stand, thank you sir," she said, her voice breaking with emotion.

"As you wish Officer."

Leaning back in his chair, he got his first good look at her since the funeral a month ago. The desk sergeant had warned him he'd be shocked. She was a little thing, just a shade over five foot and had always struggled to maintain the department required one hundred sixteen pound minimum for women officers. She'd lost at least ten; maybe fifteen pounds, since her father's death, making the soft curves of her face and body look lean and sharp angled. She was exhausted and looked haunted. The large dark circles under her eyes made her look older than the twenty two it said on her driver's license. He pondered if she had come to grips with the fact that her father might be actually be guilty of racketeering and bribery; that he might be the department mole they had been advised to watch for. How was she dealing with the pressure of her father's life long friends believing he had gone rogue. Even some of her colleagues at the station had a decided opinion on the subject. He'd heard through the grapevine of a few arguments and a couple of altercations in the women's locker room. She looked god awful and he wondered when she last had a good night's sleep or eaten a real meal; had she talked to anyone, a priest, a boyfriend, even one of the counselors in Behavioral Science, about the pain she was holding deep down inside. Was there anyone to love her now that her entire family was gone? Her ramrod posture and direct look informed him that tension and emotion were currently the only things keeping her going. He resisted the urge to give her a hug as he would one of his three daughters. She looked in need of several.

Barnes tapped his right index finger on a report sheet. "Officer Belding, just when were you going to tell me you were moonlighting for Chief Ironside?"

"I'm not working with him!"

"Then why does this arrest report indicate the opposite?"

"I don't know Captain."

"Sit down and take your time reading this," he commanded.

She did as bidden and read the thin page of single spaced typescript a couple times over. It contained the account of the arrest of one Charles (a.k.a. Charlie) Paul Rhine, mentioning that Ironside and his team were assisted in the investigation and arrest by Park District Officer Maria Francesca Belding. It was signed Edward D. Brown, Det. Sgt..

"Want to tell me again what happened last night with you, Charlie Rhine, and the Chief, Fran?"

She recounted the events of the previous night, leaving out the injury to the Chief that she felt responsible for. Barnes nodded as she related the facts. There was a pause after she'd finished. He picked up a pipe from his pipe rack and played with it for a time. Finally he spoke.

"Normally Belding, I'd bust you down to meter maid after a stunt like that, but you're already one, so I can't. But freelancing with another unit on an active case you have absolutely no business being involved in." Barnes voice raised and he jerked his index finger at her "No damn business at all. Not communicating with superior officers about the situation. Not one word did you ever say to me about this. ONE! You ought to be on report Officer Belding. Hell, you should be suspended. However, Chief Ironside appears to have other plans for you."

From across his desk he pushed a second piece of paper towards her. She took it. It was a PD-633. As she read it, her face became redder and redder. This wasn't happening. Ironside was transferring her to his team, today.

"He can't do that to me! He can't! It's not fair!" she exploded.

"He can, he has, and you can tone it down right now officer. You want to bring a union rep in and fight this, no problem. They're going to tell you that a temporary reassignment for the sake of increasing manpower is legal and you can't file a grievance over it. The Chief lost an officer. With the caseload he's got, and Whitfield gone, he needs two investigators in his office and all he's got is that sergeant of his, because Mark Sanger isn't a cop. Ed Brown is doing the work of three people. Bob Ironside needs another officer starting today, and he asked specifically for you. Though I know of absolutely no reason on God's good green earth why he should."

"To babysit me most likely," Fran muttered.

"What was that Belding?"

"Nothing"

"I thought so."

"One question, sir."

"Yes?"

"When can I transfer back here?"

Jack Barnes looked at her for a time. Fran Belding had rough edges, but definitely would be an outstanding cop with time and proper mentoring. He was sure Bob Ironside knew that too and he could spend the necessary time developing her, if they didn't kill each other first... He'd like to see the fireworks between his old poker buddy, Fran, and that sober stoic of a sergeant, Ed Brown. Barnes was very aware that once she made an effort to become part of the team, she'd be hooked and would never come back to the Park District, but he didn't tell her that. Instead he said,

"Contract says three months."

"Ninety days.… Where do I sign" she said wearily.

He pointed to the line and handed her a pen. She scribbled a signature. She looked across the desk at her now former boss. "Is there anything else Captain?"

"He'd like you there by 9 AM. He has a great deal of work he's gotten behind on due to Eve Whitfield's resignation."

She nodded and looked at her watch. She needed to get crosstown quickly. No long goodbyes.

Barnes stood up and saluted. She returned it.

"Good luck with the Chief, Fran".

"Thank you sir, see you in three months."

Barnes walked her out of the office watching as she said her goodbyes to fellow officers, heading towards the locker room to clean hers out. "Cause you're gonna need it kid", he whispered. "You're sure as hell gonna need it."

At precisely 8:59 am, she stood behind the door to Ironside's office. Fran gave her uniform one last check. After adjusting her cap, she gripped the knob. She was Dave Belding's daughter. She'd known the Chief forever, as he did her. Last night had been awful, she thought. She gave the knob a sharp turn and briskly walked down the ramp to the round oak table where he waited.

"Chief Ironside". She said, the anger barely contained in her voice.

"Officer Belding" He replied with equal strength, despite his neck injury. "What a surprise."

They both instinctively knew, 'Game On'.


End file.
